How do I express thinking one thing but saying another?How may I express 'scattered' hair?Word-request to express “teaching only one person”How should I express thisHow to say “person who invites another person” with one word?A verb which used to describe process of problem solving or making something good to differentiate a person involved from others?How to express every 1.5 days?How to express “my name used online”?How to say one street branches from another?What's the word for saying that a limb or body part originates from another?What do you call the act of saying a word for another?
What are the unintended or dangerous consequences of allowing spells that target and damage creatures to also target and damage objects?
Is it okay to have a sequel start immediately after the end of the first book?
What should I discuss with my DM prior to my first game?
Converting from CMYK to RGB (to work with it), then back to CMYK
Wizard clothing for warm weather
Should I refuse to be named as co-author of a low quality paper?
How to avoid typing 'git' at the begining of every Git command
The origin of the Russian proverb about two hares
Is there a DSLR/mirorless camera with minimal options like a classic, simple SLR?
Are the guests in Westworld forbidden to tell the hosts that they are robots?
Should I put programming books I wrote a few years ago on my resume?
How was the airlock installed on the Space Shuttle mid deck?
Diatonic chords of a pentatonic vs blues scale?
What plausible reason could I give for my FTL drive only working in space
How (un)safe is it to ride barefoot?
How can powerful telekinesis avoid violating Newton's 3rd Law?
If I had a daughter who (is/were/was) cute, I would be very happy
A Salute to Poetry
Can the removal of a duty-free sales trolley result in a measurable reduction in emissions?
Multiband vertical antenna not working as expected
Was Self-modifying-code possible just using BASIC?
If there's something that implicates the president why is there then a national security issue? (John Dowd)
So a part of my house disappeared... But not because of a chunk resetting
I've been given a project I can't complete, what should I do?
How do I express thinking one thing but saying another?
How may I express 'scattered' hair?Word-request to express “teaching only one person”How should I express thisHow to say “person who invites another person” with one word?A verb which used to describe process of problem solving or making something good to differentiate a person involved from others?How to express every 1.5 days?How to express “my name used online”?How to say one street branches from another?What's the word for saying that a limb or body part originates from another?What do you call the act of saying a word for another?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
Everyone can think inside their head (Without producing any sound from their mouth). What is this called in English?
- He says: "This is good." but he internally says: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he internally thinks: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he internally feels that this is bad.
- He says: "This is good." but he silently thinks: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he says: "This is bad" inside himself.
- Something else that you would like to suggest.
I prefer the colloquial AmE. Slang is okay.
word-request
add a comment |
Everyone can think inside their head (Without producing any sound from their mouth). What is this called in English?
- He says: "This is good." but he internally says: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he internally thinks: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he internally feels that this is bad.
- He says: "This is good." but he silently thinks: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he says: "This is bad" inside himself.
- Something else that you would like to suggest.
I prefer the colloquial AmE. Slang is okay.
word-request
6
"Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.
– Roger Lipscombe
May 28 at 8:45
1
Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!
– Alexander Kosubek
May 29 at 10:27
add a comment |
Everyone can think inside their head (Without producing any sound from their mouth). What is this called in English?
- He says: "This is good." but he internally says: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he internally thinks: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he internally feels that this is bad.
- He says: "This is good." but he silently thinks: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he says: "This is bad" inside himself.
- Something else that you would like to suggest.
I prefer the colloquial AmE. Slang is okay.
word-request
Everyone can think inside their head (Without producing any sound from their mouth). What is this called in English?
- He says: "This is good." but he internally says: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he internally thinks: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he internally feels that this is bad.
- He says: "This is good." but he silently thinks: "This is bad".
- He says: "This is good." but he says: "This is bad" inside himself.
- Something else that you would like to suggest.
I prefer the colloquial AmE. Slang is okay.
word-request
word-request
edited May 29 at 15:37
Toby Speight
1,185515
1,185515
asked May 26 at 21:51
user2824371user2824371
1,04521733
1,04521733
6
"Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.
– Roger Lipscombe
May 28 at 8:45
1
Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!
– Alexander Kosubek
May 29 at 10:27
add a comment |
6
"Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.
– Roger Lipscombe
May 28 at 8:45
1
Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!
– Alexander Kosubek
May 29 at 10:27
6
6
"Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.
– Roger Lipscombe
May 28 at 8:45
"Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.
– Roger Lipscombe
May 28 at 8:45
1
1
Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!
– Alexander Kosubek
May 29 at 10:27
Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!
– Alexander Kosubek
May 29 at 10:27
add a comment |
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
The most common term for "to think without speaking aloud" is simply "to think." However, if you want to emphasize that the person is having a private thought or a thought that contradicts his words or actions, you can use "to think to oneself," like so:
"This is good," he says, while thinking to himself that it is bad.
"This is the worst pie I've ever eaten," he thought to himself, trying his best to look as if he were enjoying it.
6
Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!
– David Richerby
May 28 at 16:46
2
For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics
– JimmyJames
May 28 at 16:53
@DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.
– JMac
May 28 at 17:25
@DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."
– Brad
May 29 at 19:34
add a comment |
Internal monologue
An internal monologue, also called self-talk or inner speech, is a person's inner voice which provides a running verbal monologue of thoughts while they are conscious.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_monologue
add a comment |
Sometimes we say a person 'keeps their thoughts to themself'. This means that they have a thought about something but they don't want others to know what their thought is.
Although he disagreed, he kept his thoughts to himself.
It usually means that the person deliberately chose not to share their thoughts, not that they just didn't bother to say anything.
4
"themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".
– Acccumulation
May 27 at 4:20
This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment
– javadba
May 27 at 17:39
@dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.
– Anthony Grist
May 28 at 15:41
1
Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.
– dwilli
May 28 at 18:45
1
Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??
– Lambie
May 29 at 15:41
|
show 3 more comments
We call it a lie or a fib when someone says something that they don't think is true. Usually lying is bad, but not necessarily if it is a minor lie in a social context that doesn't harm anyone (for example, telling someone that their potluck dish is good even if you didn't like it), in which case we would call it a "white lie" or a fib. It's also a common superstition to cross your fingers out of sight (behind your back or under the table) to invalidate something you say (it also can mean you are wishing for luck, so be careful!).
Here are a bunch of colloquial ways to tell your aunt that her pie was good when it wasn't:
"This is good," he lied.
"This is good," he fibbed.
"This is good," he said, while thinking the opposite.
"This is good," he said, mentally adding the word "not".
"This is good," he said, hoping she wouldn't hear the lie.
"This is good," he said, crossing his fingers under the table.
"This is good," he said, mentally crossing his fingers.
add a comment |
I found two derogatory words that might be suitable for this context.
One is a formal word, duplicity, which means
contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action
and the other one is a colloquial word. two-face,
I thought Kaila was my friend, but it turns out she talks shit about me behind my back, what a two-face.
The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.
– dwilli
May 27 at 2:27
2
"Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.
– Jasper
May 27 at 4:21
1
Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.
– TheSimpliFire
May 27 at 7:24
2
I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.
– Ian
May 28 at 6:36
2
@ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.
– Ethan
May 28 at 7:24
|
show 1 more comment
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "481"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);
else
createEditor();
);
function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);
);
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f212367%2fhow-do-i-express-thinking-one-thing-but-saying-another%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
The most common term for "to think without speaking aloud" is simply "to think." However, if you want to emphasize that the person is having a private thought or a thought that contradicts his words or actions, you can use "to think to oneself," like so:
"This is good," he says, while thinking to himself that it is bad.
"This is the worst pie I've ever eaten," he thought to himself, trying his best to look as if he were enjoying it.
6
Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!
– David Richerby
May 28 at 16:46
2
For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics
– JimmyJames
May 28 at 16:53
@DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.
– JMac
May 28 at 17:25
@DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."
– Brad
May 29 at 19:34
add a comment |
The most common term for "to think without speaking aloud" is simply "to think." However, if you want to emphasize that the person is having a private thought or a thought that contradicts his words or actions, you can use "to think to oneself," like so:
"This is good," he says, while thinking to himself that it is bad.
"This is the worst pie I've ever eaten," he thought to himself, trying his best to look as if he were enjoying it.
6
Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!
– David Richerby
May 28 at 16:46
2
For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics
– JimmyJames
May 28 at 16:53
@DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.
– JMac
May 28 at 17:25
@DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."
– Brad
May 29 at 19:34
add a comment |
The most common term for "to think without speaking aloud" is simply "to think." However, if you want to emphasize that the person is having a private thought or a thought that contradicts his words or actions, you can use "to think to oneself," like so:
"This is good," he says, while thinking to himself that it is bad.
"This is the worst pie I've ever eaten," he thought to himself, trying his best to look as if he were enjoying it.
The most common term for "to think without speaking aloud" is simply "to think." However, if you want to emphasize that the person is having a private thought or a thought that contradicts his words or actions, you can use "to think to oneself," like so:
"This is good," he says, while thinking to himself that it is bad.
"This is the worst pie I've ever eaten," he thought to himself, trying his best to look as if he were enjoying it.
answered May 26 at 22:08
NanigashiNanigashi
1,17459
1,17459
6
Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!
– David Richerby
May 28 at 16:46
2
For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics
– JimmyJames
May 28 at 16:53
@DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.
– JMac
May 28 at 17:25
@DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."
– Brad
May 29 at 19:34
add a comment |
6
Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!
– David Richerby
May 28 at 16:46
2
For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics
– JimmyJames
May 28 at 16:53
@DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.
– JMac
May 28 at 17:25
@DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."
– Brad
May 29 at 19:34
6
6
Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!
– David Richerby
May 28 at 16:46
Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!
– David Richerby
May 28 at 16:46
2
2
For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics
– JimmyJames
May 28 at 16:53
For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics
– JimmyJames
May 28 at 16:53
@DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.
– JMac
May 28 at 17:25
@DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.
– JMac
May 28 at 17:25
@DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."
– Brad
May 29 at 19:34
@DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."
– Brad
May 29 at 19:34
add a comment |
Internal monologue
An internal monologue, also called self-talk or inner speech, is a person's inner voice which provides a running verbal monologue of thoughts while they are conscious.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_monologue
add a comment |
Internal monologue
An internal monologue, also called self-talk or inner speech, is a person's inner voice which provides a running verbal monologue of thoughts while they are conscious.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_monologue
add a comment |
Internal monologue
An internal monologue, also called self-talk or inner speech, is a person's inner voice which provides a running verbal monologue of thoughts while they are conscious.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_monologue
Internal monologue
An internal monologue, also called self-talk or inner speech, is a person's inner voice which provides a running verbal monologue of thoughts while they are conscious.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_monologue
answered May 27 at 4:18
AcccumulationAcccumulation
2,28018
2,28018
add a comment |
add a comment |
Sometimes we say a person 'keeps their thoughts to themself'. This means that they have a thought about something but they don't want others to know what their thought is.
Although he disagreed, he kept his thoughts to himself.
It usually means that the person deliberately chose not to share their thoughts, not that they just didn't bother to say anything.
4
"themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".
– Acccumulation
May 27 at 4:20
This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment
– javadba
May 27 at 17:39
@dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.
– Anthony Grist
May 28 at 15:41
1
Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.
– dwilli
May 28 at 18:45
1
Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??
– Lambie
May 29 at 15:41
|
show 3 more comments
Sometimes we say a person 'keeps their thoughts to themself'. This means that they have a thought about something but they don't want others to know what their thought is.
Although he disagreed, he kept his thoughts to himself.
It usually means that the person deliberately chose not to share their thoughts, not that they just didn't bother to say anything.
4
"themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".
– Acccumulation
May 27 at 4:20
This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment
– javadba
May 27 at 17:39
@dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.
– Anthony Grist
May 28 at 15:41
1
Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.
– dwilli
May 28 at 18:45
1
Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??
– Lambie
May 29 at 15:41
|
show 3 more comments
Sometimes we say a person 'keeps their thoughts to themself'. This means that they have a thought about something but they don't want others to know what their thought is.
Although he disagreed, he kept his thoughts to himself.
It usually means that the person deliberately chose not to share their thoughts, not that they just didn't bother to say anything.
Sometimes we say a person 'keeps their thoughts to themself'. This means that they have a thought about something but they don't want others to know what their thought is.
Although he disagreed, he kept his thoughts to himself.
It usually means that the person deliberately chose not to share their thoughts, not that they just didn't bother to say anything.
edited May 28 at 15:52
answered May 27 at 4:05
dwillidwilli
2,5021418
2,5021418
4
"themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".
– Acccumulation
May 27 at 4:20
This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment
– javadba
May 27 at 17:39
@dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.
– Anthony Grist
May 28 at 15:41
1
Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.
– dwilli
May 28 at 18:45
1
Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??
– Lambie
May 29 at 15:41
|
show 3 more comments
4
"themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".
– Acccumulation
May 27 at 4:20
This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment
– javadba
May 27 at 17:39
@dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.
– Anthony Grist
May 28 at 15:41
1
Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.
– dwilli
May 28 at 18:45
1
Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??
– Lambie
May 29 at 15:41
4
4
"themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".
– Acccumulation
May 27 at 4:20
"themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".
– Acccumulation
May 27 at 4:20
This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment
– javadba
May 27 at 17:39
This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment
– javadba
May 27 at 17:39
@dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.
– Anthony Grist
May 28 at 15:41
@dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.
– Anthony Grist
May 28 at 15:41
1
1
Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.
– dwilli
May 28 at 18:45
Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.
– dwilli
May 28 at 18:45
1
1
Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??
– Lambie
May 29 at 15:41
Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??
– Lambie
May 29 at 15:41
|
show 3 more comments
We call it a lie or a fib when someone says something that they don't think is true. Usually lying is bad, but not necessarily if it is a minor lie in a social context that doesn't harm anyone (for example, telling someone that their potluck dish is good even if you didn't like it), in which case we would call it a "white lie" or a fib. It's also a common superstition to cross your fingers out of sight (behind your back or under the table) to invalidate something you say (it also can mean you are wishing for luck, so be careful!).
Here are a bunch of colloquial ways to tell your aunt that her pie was good when it wasn't:
"This is good," he lied.
"This is good," he fibbed.
"This is good," he said, while thinking the opposite.
"This is good," he said, mentally adding the word "not".
"This is good," he said, hoping she wouldn't hear the lie.
"This is good," he said, crossing his fingers under the table.
"This is good," he said, mentally crossing his fingers.
add a comment |
We call it a lie or a fib when someone says something that they don't think is true. Usually lying is bad, but not necessarily if it is a minor lie in a social context that doesn't harm anyone (for example, telling someone that their potluck dish is good even if you didn't like it), in which case we would call it a "white lie" or a fib. It's also a common superstition to cross your fingers out of sight (behind your back or under the table) to invalidate something you say (it also can mean you are wishing for luck, so be careful!).
Here are a bunch of colloquial ways to tell your aunt that her pie was good when it wasn't:
"This is good," he lied.
"This is good," he fibbed.
"This is good," he said, while thinking the opposite.
"This is good," he said, mentally adding the word "not".
"This is good," he said, hoping she wouldn't hear the lie.
"This is good," he said, crossing his fingers under the table.
"This is good," he said, mentally crossing his fingers.
add a comment |
We call it a lie or a fib when someone says something that they don't think is true. Usually lying is bad, but not necessarily if it is a minor lie in a social context that doesn't harm anyone (for example, telling someone that their potluck dish is good even if you didn't like it), in which case we would call it a "white lie" or a fib. It's also a common superstition to cross your fingers out of sight (behind your back or under the table) to invalidate something you say (it also can mean you are wishing for luck, so be careful!).
Here are a bunch of colloquial ways to tell your aunt that her pie was good when it wasn't:
"This is good," he lied.
"This is good," he fibbed.
"This is good," he said, while thinking the opposite.
"This is good," he said, mentally adding the word "not".
"This is good," he said, hoping she wouldn't hear the lie.
"This is good," he said, crossing his fingers under the table.
"This is good," he said, mentally crossing his fingers.
We call it a lie or a fib when someone says something that they don't think is true. Usually lying is bad, but not necessarily if it is a minor lie in a social context that doesn't harm anyone (for example, telling someone that their potluck dish is good even if you didn't like it), in which case we would call it a "white lie" or a fib. It's also a common superstition to cross your fingers out of sight (behind your back or under the table) to invalidate something you say (it also can mean you are wishing for luck, so be careful!).
Here are a bunch of colloquial ways to tell your aunt that her pie was good when it wasn't:
"This is good," he lied.
"This is good," he fibbed.
"This is good," he said, while thinking the opposite.
"This is good," he said, mentally adding the word "not".
"This is good," he said, hoping she wouldn't hear the lie.
"This is good," he said, crossing his fingers under the table.
"This is good," he said, mentally crossing his fingers.
answered May 28 at 19:22
user3067860user3067860
51426
51426
add a comment |
add a comment |
I found two derogatory words that might be suitable for this context.
One is a formal word, duplicity, which means
contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action
and the other one is a colloquial word. two-face,
I thought Kaila was my friend, but it turns out she talks shit about me behind my back, what a two-face.
The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.
– dwilli
May 27 at 2:27
2
"Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.
– Jasper
May 27 at 4:21
1
Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.
– TheSimpliFire
May 27 at 7:24
2
I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.
– Ian
May 28 at 6:36
2
@ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.
– Ethan
May 28 at 7:24
|
show 1 more comment
I found two derogatory words that might be suitable for this context.
One is a formal word, duplicity, which means
contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action
and the other one is a colloquial word. two-face,
I thought Kaila was my friend, but it turns out she talks shit about me behind my back, what a two-face.
The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.
– dwilli
May 27 at 2:27
2
"Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.
– Jasper
May 27 at 4:21
1
Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.
– TheSimpliFire
May 27 at 7:24
2
I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.
– Ian
May 28 at 6:36
2
@ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.
– Ethan
May 28 at 7:24
|
show 1 more comment
I found two derogatory words that might be suitable for this context.
One is a formal word, duplicity, which means
contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action
and the other one is a colloquial word. two-face,
I thought Kaila was my friend, but it turns out she talks shit about me behind my back, what a two-face.
I found two derogatory words that might be suitable for this context.
One is a formal word, duplicity, which means
contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action
and the other one is a colloquial word. two-face,
I thought Kaila was my friend, but it turns out she talks shit about me behind my back, what a two-face.
edited May 28 at 7:25
answered May 26 at 22:31
EthanEthan
272
272
The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.
– dwilli
May 27 at 2:27
2
"Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.
– Jasper
May 27 at 4:21
1
Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.
– TheSimpliFire
May 27 at 7:24
2
I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.
– Ian
May 28 at 6:36
2
@ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.
– Ethan
May 28 at 7:24
|
show 1 more comment
The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.
– dwilli
May 27 at 2:27
2
"Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.
– Jasper
May 27 at 4:21
1
Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.
– TheSimpliFire
May 27 at 7:24
2
I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.
– Ian
May 28 at 6:36
2
@ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.
– Ethan
May 28 at 7:24
The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.
– dwilli
May 27 at 2:27
The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.
– dwilli
May 27 at 2:27
2
2
"Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.
– Jasper
May 27 at 4:21
"Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.
– Jasper
May 27 at 4:21
1
1
Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.
– TheSimpliFire
May 27 at 7:24
Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.
– TheSimpliFire
May 27 at 7:24
2
2
I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.
– Ian
May 28 at 6:36
I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.
– Ian
May 28 at 6:36
2
2
@ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.
– Ethan
May 28 at 7:24
@ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.
– Ethan
May 28 at 7:24
|
show 1 more comment
Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language Learners Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f212367%2fhow-do-i-express-thinking-one-thing-but-saying-another%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
6
"Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.
– Roger Lipscombe
May 28 at 8:45
1
Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!
– Alexander Kosubek
May 29 at 10:27